The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-07-20

prison with the earthquake unlocking tue
door for him, and took command or the
Alexandrian corn ship when the sailors were
nearly scared to DEATH and preached SER
mon that nearly shook Felix off his Judgment
seat. hear the men and women who helped
him down through the window and over the
/ wall talking in private over the matter, and
saving: How glad am that we effected that
rescue! In coming times others may get the
glory of Paurs work, but no one shall rob
us Of the satisfaction Of knowing that we
held the rope
Once for thirty hours we expected
every moment to 20 to the bottom of the
ocean. The waves struck through the sky
lights and rushed down into the hold Of the
ship and hissed against the boilers 1t was an
awful time; but, by the blessing of God and
the faithfulness of the men in charge. we
came out of the cyclone and we arrived at
home. Each one before leaving the ship
thanked Captain Andrews. l do not think
there was man OF woman that went off
that ship without thanking Captain Andrews,
and when years after I heard of his death
l was impelled to write letter Of condo
lence to his family in Liverpool. Ev-
erybody recognized the goodness, tho cour.
| age, the kindness of Captain Andrews; but
it occurs to me now that we never thanked
the engineer. He stood away down in the
darkness amid the Kissing furnaces doing his
whole duty. Nobody thanked the engineer,
but God recognized his heroism and his con.
tinuance and his fidelity, and there Will
be Just as high reward for the engineer who
worked out Of sight as for the captain who
stood on the bridge of the ship in the midst
of the bowling tempest.
of religion in this country. About 1000
warrant came from early homes which had
to struggle for the necesSarieS OF life. The
sons of rich bankers and merchants generally
become bankers and merchants. The most
of those who become ministers are the sons OF
those who had terrific struggle to get their
everyday bread The collegiate and theologi-
cal education OF that son took every luxury
from the parental table for eight years. The
other children were more scantily appareled.
The son at college every little while got
bundle from home. In it were the socks that
mother had knit, sitting up late at
night, her sight not as good as once
it was. And there also were some
delcacies from the sisters hand for
The father swung the heavy cradle through
the wheat, the sweat rolling from his chin be-
dewing every step of the way, and then sit
ting down under the cherry tree at noon
thinking to himself: II am fearfully tired, but
it will pay if can once see that boy through
college, and if I can know that he will be
preaching the Gospel after am dead."' The
younger children want to know why they
can't have this and that as others do, and the
mother says: "Be patient, my children, until
your brother graduates, and then you shall
have more luxuries; but we must see that
boy through"
The years go by, and the son has been
ordained and is preaching the glorious
Gospel, and great revival comes, and souls
by scores and hundreds accept the Gospel
from the lips of that young preacher, and /
fot al
the son ut that village parsonage, and at the
close of a Sabbath of mighty blessing father
and mother retire to their room, the son
lighting the way and asking them if he can
do anything to make them more comfortable,
saying if they want anything in the night
just to knock on the wall And then, all
alone, father and mother talk oyer the
gracious influences Of the day and say:
"Well, it was worth all we went through
to educate that boy. 1t was hard pull, but
We held on till the work was done. The
world may not know it, but mother, we held
the rope, didn't we" And the voice, tremu-
!ous with joyful emotion, responds: Yes,
father, we held the rope. feel my work is
done. Now, Lord, lett:st Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation" ''Pshaw!' says the father. 81
never felt so much like living in my life as
tow. | want to see what that fellow is going
on to do, he has begun so well.n
Something occurs to me quite personal. I
was the youngest of large family of child
rem. Myparents were neither rich nor poor;
four of the sons wanted collegiate education,
and four obtained it, but not without great
home struggle. We never heard the old peo-
pie say once that sheywere denying themselves |
to effect this, but l remember now that my |
parents always looked tired. l don't think |
they ever got rested until they lay down |
in the Somerville cemetery. Mother would |
sit down in the evening and say: We'll,
don't know what makes me feel so
tiredw Father would fall Immediately |
to sleep, seated by the evening stand
overcome with the days fatigues. One of
the four brothers, after preaching the gospel |
for about fifty years, entered upon his heav-
emily rest. Another of the four is on the |
other side of the EARTH missionary of the
cross. Two of us are in this land in the home
ministry, and think all of us are willing to
acknowledge our obligations to the old folks
at home About twenty -one years ago the
one, and about twenty-three years ago the
other, put down the burdens Of this life, but
they still hold the rope.
., men and women here assembled, you
brag sometimes how you have fought your
helpful influences that you have never fully
Has there not been some in
flu ence in your early or present home that
the world cannot sees Does there not reach |
to you from among the New England hills,
or from western prairie, or from southern
plantation, or from English or Scottish or
Irish home b cord of influence that has kept
you right when you would have gone astray,
and which, after you had made a crooked (
track, recalled you? The rope may be as
long as thirty years, or five hundred miles
long, or three thousand miles long, but hands
that went out of mortal sight long ago will
hold the rope. You want q very
swift horse, and you need to rowel
him with sharpest spurs, and to let the
reins lie loose upon the neck, and to give
shout to the racer, if You are going to ride
out Of reach of your mothers prayers. Why,
q ship crossing the Atlantic in six days can't
sail away from that. A sailor finds them on
them on the mast as he climbs the ratlines to
q rope in the tempest, and finds
them swinging on the hammock when he
turns in. Why not be frank and acknowl-
edge 1.-THE most of us would long ago have
been dashed to pieces had not gracious and
loving hands steadily, lovingly and nightly
held the rope.
But there must como time when we shall
find out who these Damascenes were who
lowered Paul in the basket and greet them
and all those who have rendered to God and
the world unrecognized and unrecorded
services. That is going to be one Of the glad
excitements Of heaven, the hunting up and
picking out of those who did great good on
earth and got no credit for it. Here the
church has been going on for nineteen CEN
turies. and yet the world has not recognized
the services of the people IN that Damascus
balcony. e.. Charles G Finney said to dying
Christian 8 Give my love to st. Paul when